Revealed: Trump’s hidden agenda in the DRC-Rwanda ‘deal’

By Newsflash Writer

When Presidents Felix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Paul Kagame of Rwanda joined U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington on December 4 for the signing of a long-heralded peace pact, the world witnessed what looked like a diplomatic breakthrough.

The ceremony, filled with speeches, flags and carefully staged handshakes, was meant to mark a turning point in the decades-old conflict in eastern Congo. But behind the polished optics and triumphant narrative lay a less publicised but far more consequential agenda: the agreement effectively paves the way for American mining giants to secure unparalleled access to Congo’s vast deposits of cobalt, copper, lithium and rare earth minerals.

Analysts familiar with the negotiations suggest that Washington’s primary objective was less about stopping the war and more about opening the door to a resource pool vital to U.S. technological dominance and its green-energy future. In fact, the peace accord’s most significant clauses revolve around mineral cooperation, allowing American firms to operate with unprecedented freedom in some of the world’s richest ore zones.

A ceremony of smiles masking deep distrust

Even as the deal was announced with fanfare, the body language of Tshisekedi and Kagame told its own story. The two leaders, long-time adversaries, stood beside Trump but barely acknowledged each other. They shook hands with him separately before staring past each other during the 60-minute ceremony — a visual reminder of the long-standing hostility that has defined relations between Kinshasa and Kigali.

The tensions stem from a bitter cycle of accusations: Congo insists Rwanda supports the AFC/M23 rebels who control large stretches of territory in the east, while Rwanda claims Kinshasa shelters remnants of FDLR rebels seeking to topple Kagame through cross-border insurgency. These grievances have persisted through multiple failed mediation attempts, and the Washington deal — heralded as a “historic breakthrough” — did little to soften that animosity.

Within hours of the signing, fresh clashes erupted. Fighting broke out between FARDC forces and M23 rebels, underscoring the fragility of the peace. Videos shared online showed families trudging along the roads near Luvungi in South Kivu, carrying what little they could as explosions echoed behind them. AFC/M23 spokesman Lawrence Kanyuka accused Congolese forces of attacking “densely populated neighbourhoods using jets, drones and heavy artillery,” saying women and children were among the victims.

A FARDC spokesperson countered those claims, reporting continuous shelling by the Rwandan Defence Forces along the Kaziba–Katogota–Rurambo axis. An M23 official later told Reuters that the rebels had retaken Luberika and shot down a Congolese drone, stating bluntly: “This war has nothing to do with the ceremony in Washington. It continues as it always has.”

Quiet opening for US mining corporations

While Trump hailed the agreement as proof of his unmatched peacemaking abilities, his remarks exposed the deal’s deeper ambitions. He openly celebrated the economic benefits the U.S. stood to gain, saying American companies would be deployed to Congo and Rwanda to “take out rare earths and other assets,” insisting, “Everybody is going to make a lot of money.”

For many observers, this was confirmation of Washington’s long-term strategy: securing access to Congo’s minerals in order to outmanoeuvre China, which currently dominates much of the region’s mining sector. Critical minerals like cobalt and lithium are indispensable for electric vehicle batteries, smartphones, aerospace technology and the global shift toward renewable energy. The U.S., hungry to reduce its reliance on Chinese supply chains, sees Congo as a strategic frontier.

American companies are already benefiting. In July, KoBold Metals — backed by billionaires Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos — entered a sweeping agreement granting the firm access to decades of geological data through the National Geological Service of Congo.

The deal allows KoBold to deploy artificial intelligence to identify mineral deposits and grants it rights to acquire and develop the massive Roche Dure lithium field, one of the world’s largest.

The Washington pact strengthens this trajectory, embedding mineral access into the core of the peace agenda. It links stability in eastern Congo to a framework of economic collaboration centred on mining — a structure critics argue may institutionalise extraction without meaningfully addressing the insecurity rooted in competition over those very minerals.

Fighting persists as questions grow

Despite assurances from both presidents, renewed violence continued across eastern Congo. Heavy exchanges were reported around Kamanyola — a key cross-border trade and military corridor — as FARDC, Wazalendo militias and Burundian forces battled M23 rebels. Further clashes unfolded in Katogota, Lubarika and Kaziba, with artillery shells landing in civilian zones and causing multiple deaths.

Key obstacles remain unresolved. Rwanda insists that FDLR must be neutralised before it pulls back its forces, while DRC argues that Rwanda must first cease all support to M23 and withdraw its troops.

These stalemates have derailed previous agreements, including discussions held in the November 2025 Joint Security Coordination meeting, which admitted “gaps and challenges” in the sequencing of troop withdrawal and stabilisation.

Compounding matters, the Washington deal does not include M23 as a signatory. Their separate Qatar-mediated agreement with Kinshasa remains non-binding, raising questions about its enforceability and its relevance to the U.S.-led accord.

Yet, amid the uncertainty, Trump projected absolute confidence. “I know they’re going to keep their commitments,” he said, promising a “brighter future” for the region.

Many Congolese observers, however, fear that the future being crafted prioritises American economic interests over genuine stability. With mineral extraction tied directly to the peace framework, critics warn that the agreement risks entrenching foreign control over Congo’s resources while leaving root causes of conflict unaddressed.